The countdown to #KSW39 is well and truly underway and with just two days left until fight night, things are heating up nicely between #NormanParke and the KSW lightweight champion, #MateuszGamrot.

The two were present today at the KSW39 press conference in Warsaw, Poland and Parke was asked to clarify some comments he’d made about Gamrot during the build-up. The Northern Irishman needed no second invitation to explain himself.

“Word is he quits in training when the going gets tough,” Parke said. “That’s something I’m going to test on Saturday night. I believe that he’s been looked after by KSW and that he’s been matched to his style, but this time they messed up when they picked me. I’m the most dangerous fighter he’s ever faced, and on Saturday night, I’m going to test him very hard, take him into deep waters and then crush him.”

Having stated on social media two weeks ago that he was going to call time on his career after the fight, today Parke pulled back the reins on any talk of retirement.

“I’m not going to retire—there’s plenty left in the tank,” Parke said. “I’m 30-years-old, so I’m going to fight until I’m almost 40. I ain’t going to retire at all—we will see after I get that gold belt around my waist. I ain’t going anywhere—KSW are coming to the UK and Ireland, and I believe I’m the right guy to bring them there. The time is right—I don’t mind giving this lad a rematch in Ireland at all. He knows he’s in for a tough fight and he knows I’m his toughest fight. At the end of the day, he can say all the s*it he wants about what is on paper, but I’m his toughest fight, period.”

Despite his confidence, Parke heads into the bout a clear underdog with the bookmakers. The Northern Irishman says Gamrot still has plenty to prove and that he won’t be judging him until after their fight on Saturday.

“He says he’s the number one after beating Mansour Barnaoui,” Parke said. “Yeah, he’s a good striker and he’s good on the floor, but the wrestling is what let him down. I believe he’s faced nowhere near the level of guys I’ve faced in the UFC. I don’t believe the hype until he goes in there and dominates me for three rounds—I don’t believe it all.

While the prospect of walking out in front of 55,000 Polish fans would send shivers down the spine of some, Parke said he is relishing the opportunity and that some of the Polish fans inside The National Stadium will even be cheering for him.

“What’s great is a lot of his Polish friends have been hitting me up on social media saying, ‘Beat him, be the new champ—we want you to be the new champ,’” Park said. “That’s what is going to happen on Saturday night. The pressure is all on him and there’s no pressure on me at all. I’ve been there before, I’ve lost and I’ve come back. Don’t worry, you can come back after a defeat pal. A defeat will do nothing—it will make you a better fighter—that’s what will happen on Saturday night.”

Parke vs. Gamrot goes down this Saturday at #KSW39 in Warsaw, Poland. Check out our Champion’s guide to KSW39 to find out how you can tune in.